In this industry, every minute counts. On each and every flight we operate, our passengers are counting on us to get them to their final destinations safely and on-time. That’s why several talented Flight Attendants are currently on special assignment to help minimize and prevent operational delays. The Operations Response Team monitors the causes of delays at our hub airports so that we can better understand why the delays occurred and, and most importantly, what we can do to avoid them in the future.

The team is also on hand to jump in and help our crews in any way that they can, especially during quick turns. A “quick turn” is when flight crews have only a short amount of time to deplane passengers, clean the cabin, re-stock commissary items, and board passengers for the next flight. During quick turns, team members can be seen doing everything from helping load gate checked bags and cleaning out seat back pockets, to stocking commissary items and printing releases for our flight crews.

The assistance provided by this team can make the difference between an on-time departure and a flight leaving the gate late. During a recent turn in St. Louis, the inbound aircraft arrived late, and in order for the next flight to depart on time, the flight crews had just 20 minutes to deplane the passengers, clean the main cabin, change crews and board passengers for the next flight. That would have been a tough goal to meet under normal circumstances, but a little extra help can make a big difference. With the combined efforts of the flight crews and the Operations Response Team, the turn took just 18 minutes!

At Trans States Airlines, we look at each day as a new opportunity to be even better than we were the day before, and the feedback and assistance provided by the Operations Response Team is helping us do just that. These team members are just a few of the hundreds of Trans States Airlines employees around the country working behind the scenes to ensure that our aircraft operate safely and on-time.